All Things New
by sableambiguity
Summary: Post AC, all the characters set about learning to live their new lives, even while new trouble looms on the horizon. Did they find happiness only to lose it again? Various pairings, Tifacentric. Rated for language.
1. Now

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy, or any of its characters, or any of the other nifty details.

* * *

A/N: This is set _immediately_ following the events of Advent Children, and shall – if all goes according to plan – include some Dirge of Cerberus as it progresses. The prologue is a first person p.o.v. by Aerith, and then it takes you into the rest of the story, which will be third p.o.v. Tifacentric. Enjoy.

* * *

All Things New 

Prologue & Chapter One: Now

* * *

They were all together again. 

It was past Marlene and Denzel's bedtime, and she was slumped with her head resting on her hands against the table the group was circled, her choice of seat being Barret's lap. The boy was sandwiched between Cloud and Tifa so it was only a matter of picking which way to lean when his eyes started closing of their own will. No one had the heart to tell them to go upstairs, and no one wanted to leave the table to take them.

Except maybe Vincent, who lurked in the corner and kept darting a crimson glance toward the doorway, ready to slip back into the shadows of life. He was the reason I kept the rain at a steady drizzle. It was just enough, along with the others begging him, to force him to remain indoors. He could stand to stay one night with the old team.

Tifa, ever the hostess, had kept the alcohol flowing freely, and it was evident by the flush in Cid's cheeks and the way his cigarette fell from his mouth half the time that he'd benefited from the generosity. Barret had enough to drown a normal person but it barely seemed to affect him, and Yuffie was giggling about anything and everything and had almost met the floor with her face after falling out of her chair a time or two. The rest abstained, though it didn't matter in the atmosphere of jovial cheer and true relief they all basked in.

They were finally happy, all of them. It was worth everything to see that. To see the way they could laugh without feeling guilty, the way the children had played until they lost their breath without any pain. The way his lips barely curved in a smile that had already filled his eyes.

Maybe they would finally be okay.

In the rain, they would still remember me. And when more flowers bloom in that old church that I know he would never let them tear down as they try to rebuild Midgar, they'll remember. Hopefully, the memories would be calming, and free of any regret this time around.

I'll still be watching. I can see the anger welling just beneath the surface of the ruins. If they need me, I'll always be here. I did everything for them, and would do it all again. But for now, let them have fun. Let them have peace. Let them have love.

For now, let me just watch.

* * *

Tifa was the first one awake, just as the sun was peeking through the shades of her bedroom window. There wouldn't be any chores to be done, no groceries delivered, and there was no reason to be up so early but old habits die hard. As bare feet met the cold floor, she sorted the events of the day before in her mind. Had it all really happened? Was it all really over? 

But the lump shifting in the bed behind her reminded her, rather unkindly with an elbow in her side, that Yuffie was there which meant everyone else was there too. They'd done it. Or Cloud had done it.

Cloud…

He'd actually seemed happy for the first time in a long time. She could only hope it would last.

Which her closet didn't seem to be doing. Its door hung ajar while its belly bulged with a sack full of dirty laundry she hadn't gotten around to putting in the wash. With a stifled mental groan of protest, she padded her way over to drag it out. Now was as good a time as any to stuff it into the machine in the back downstairs. Breakfast needed to be started while she was at it.

Whatever minor fear she'd have of waking everyone, it was banished when Barret and Cid's snoring from the spare room echoed down the hallway. It was truly a wonder anyone had managed to sleep at all, but she supposed they really were all that tired. Living with guilt could do that to a person.

She couldn't resist her maternal instinct to look in on Marlene and Denzel. Both of them were still curled into their beds, the latter finally looking like he'd gotten a peaceful slumber. It was enough to bring a smile to Tifa's face.

Cloud's room was next, and though a fleeting urge passed through her mind to check on him too, she stopped herself. Instead, her hand merely rested against the doorframe, as if she might hear his breathing or feel his heartbeat to assure herself that he was there through the wood. He needed rest most of all.

Hoisting that bag to avoid tripping down the stairs, a peek into the living room proved Nanaki was sleeping on the rug, so the only one missing was Vincent. That wasn't a surprise. He'd wanted to leave as soon as Cait did, when Cid had landed that new ship of his, but they hadn't let him.

It just meant one less mouth to feed this morning, she told herself. Life could actually begin now, for all of them. Maybe it was fitting that it would start with something as simple as laundry and omelettes.

The detergent was almost empty as she settled it upside down over the open washer, leaving it to empty into the already filling contraption when she bustled back to the kitchen to heat a skillet. Eggs were plentiful compared to fresh vegetables, and she had already flipped the first batch of omelettes when a bristle on the back of her neck told her she wasn't alone. The spatula clattered to the floor the moment her eyes lifted to find themselves meeting another pair in the shadows.

But they were a glowing scarlet.

"Vincent! Gaia, you scared me," she muttered, bending to retrieve the lost utensil. She hadn't bothered changing out of the long-sleeved tee and boxers she slept in, figuring it wasn't a big deal since the team had seen her in worse. Now, suddenly, face to face with Vincent standing in his cloak and straight as a board, she felt sorely underdressed. "I thought you'd left."

"I did."

Just as she was about to ask why he bothered to come back since most of them had been sure he'd hightail and leave for good the moment he got a chance, a cellphone was lofted before her vision, grasped in his right hand. "Wh—" she faltered. She must have been sleepier than she thought to be this disoriented. "What is that?"

"A phone."

"I know _that_. What is it for? I thought you were kidding when you asked where the phone salesman was…" She'd since recovered a little by tossing the spatula in the sink and retrieving another from where they hung along the wall, saving her eggs from a crispy doom.

"Only call in an emergency."

A piece of paper was now shoved in front of her, clearly for her to take. On it was a hastily scrawled phone number, which she narrowed her eyes at. "You bought yourself a phone?" she asked incredulously, afterward realizing her voice was a bit loud in her disbelief. The only reason she noticed was because he gave her a look.

"Tell the others you know how to contact me."

So _that's_ what this was about. If they knew she had a way to reach him, they wouldn't go looking for him. They wouldn't _bother_ him. Tifa knew he would consider it being bothered.

"I'll give them your—" She was silenced by another look. Gaia, but he knew how to send chills down a person's spine with that gaze.

"Just tell them _you_ can contact me."

Even that slight inflection was barely detectable, but it added another piece to the puzzle. She'd always been something of the glue that held the group together, and anyone who needed him would be able to contact her without problem. This way, he knew someone who wouldn't abuse the privilege had the knowledge.

Her mouth was open to reluctantly comply when she suddenly noticed that her feet were cold. And wet. A glance to the floor proved she was standing in a rather sudsy river, streaming from the laundry room. Barely managing to bite back a curse, her eyes flew up to the crimson-cloaked man, trying to determine if he'd noticed the mess and not told her.

Apparently the look was accusatory, as he replied with a simple, "I didn't want to interrupt."

"Vincent, my kitchen is flooding!" she growled in protest, sliding past him to rummage through the corner supply closet for a mop.

"I didn't know it wasn't supposed to."

He was insufferable, and while the entire thing might have been comical under any other circumstances, right now she was in her sleep clothes with her feet wet, her kitchen a pool, her washing machine churning even more suds out to fill the back room, and she couldn't find the mop. "Vincent, you—"

"What's going on?"

She bumped her head on the rail when she jumped, only belatedly remembering to keep her fist clenched around the handle of the mop as she scrambled out of the closet. Cloud was fully dressed already too, and if she felt awkward before with Vincent, she was doubly so now.

"Uh…Vincent…" But when she swiveled a glance his way to do nothing short of blame him for this mess, he was gone. Vanished without even leaving the back door unlatched. "He's gone," she finished lamely, trying to cough out a nervous laugh to cover her embarrassment.

Cloud just stared at her blankly, probably wondering if that bump to her head had caused brain damage. She was wondering that too.

"Alright," he finally acknowledged, slowly, almost warily, gaze trailing from hers to the sudsy floor. "That doesn't explain why you're cleaning the floor with the washing machine, Tifa."

With another nervous laugh she pushed past him – and none too gently – to slam the washer door shut, tossing the dripping bottle of detergent into a trashcan nearby as she attacked the ground with the mop. "I got distracted trying to start breakfast," she managed cheerily, one wrist absently brushing a lock of dark hair from her eyes. That scrap of paper burned a hole in her pocket like a lie waiting to be told, but she quickly shoved that thought from her mind and took some small measure of comfort from attacking the floor again.

"Let me do that." Before she could protest, he took the mop from her hands and began carefully cleaning the spill. He was too nice to say she looked like she might snap the handle in half with how hard she was scrubbing. "Go take care of breakfast. More people will be upset about burned eggs than a sudsy washroom floor."

Was that amusement she'd seen in his eyes? It couldn't be. Gaia, but she must really be tired after all.

But she didn't protest since he was right. She was already cringing at the thought of the bellowing that would ensue if there wasn't enough food to feed the small army that would be trooping downstairs soon. When everything was in hand, and Cloud had agreed to shout if something spontaneously caught flames, she headed upstairs to corral the herd, as it were.

"Rise and shine!" she called as she pounded on the door to the spare room. As she swung it open, she dodged a pillow aimed right for her head in response. "Hey, now, don't make me get my gloves." But her laughter was only greeted by more grumbles and she opted to leave the door open so the scent of the food wafting upstairs could pry them from bed.

The children were a bit easier to wake since they were used to her schedule, and Denzel seemed to spring out of bed with the new energy he had after spending so long with Geostigma. Herding them toward the bathroom to wash up, however, she found the door shut and locked.

"Yuffie?"

"Just a minute!" was the shrill response, followed by a suspicious clatter.

"You two go wash your hands downstairs, okay?" Tifa quietly instructed, giving both kids a gentle nudge in the right direction before turning back to the closed door. "You better not be stealing my shampoo or something silly, Yuffie. Not if you ever want to sleep in this place again."

Instead of grumbles, the comment was met by giggles muffled through the door, and after a rumble of the stairs creaking under Barret's weight and Cid's unsteady, hungover lurching, she headed back to the kitchen to finish up. Cloud had since mopped the entire floor and stowed away the cleaning supplies, and was now the perfect audience for the children's idle, excited chatter. He looked incredibly overwhelmed but there wasn't much Tifa could do; she was busy keeping Barret from trying to dig into the heaped stack of flat egg pancakes too early.

She'd succeeded in that endeavor just as Yuffie came bounding down the stairs and practically twirled into a seat at the bar, laughing when Cid complained about the way she jostled him when she "sat" down. He was more than happy to remain slumped over the counter, avoiding light as much as possible. Tifa shot the ninja a look when she caught her trying to pick the poor pilot's pocket.

Nanaki decided to join the little party last, just as the hostess was setting out dishes with all the ingredients necessary for everyone to make their own omelettes. There was tomato, cheese, ham, bacon, bell pepper, onion, to name a few. She'd spared nothing from her cupboards and fridge for this occasion. While the others helped themselves, she collected a plate of what Nanaki requested, kneeling to set it in front of him.

"He's gone, isn't he?"

Her smile slipped but only a little, hopefully not enough for Nanaki to notice. "Vincent left this morning."

His shaggy head was dipped in an accepting nod, though it wasn't as simple with the others.

"Vincent left without saying goodbye?" This from Marlene. No one really knew why but she'd taken a liking to the recluse.

" 'Course that asshole'd leave too early," came Cid's hoarse reply.

The pilot was silenced by a sound thwack on the back by Barret. "Watch your mouth in front of my girl. Valentine's one of them that's always leaving. We're all used to it by now," he mumbled between mouthfuls.

Who he hoped to reassure with these statements was a mystery. In fact, his words had the opposite effect. Tifa could almost feel the tension in the air surrounding Cloud. After all, the blonde-haired hero was the _other_ one who was "always leaving" before all of this. Though Barret hadn't said it, it was there. Even the children could tell with the way they suddenly looked at Cloud as if to make sure he wasn't already on his way out the door.

Cloud cleared his throat. "I'm sure he'll be back when he's ready."

That was all it took for the others to strike up the idle chatter again, most of them talking with their mouth full, or already digging in for more. Barret was wow-ing Marlene with stories of the oilfields while Yuffie complained that oil was one of the grossest substances on the planet, to which Cid was asking both of them to shut up, or at least not talk directly in his ears. Denzel was begging Cloud to take him for a ride on his bike when the roads weren't so slick. Tifa picked at her food and watched with the faintest smile on her lips as her friends talked around her. Remembering her duties, she stooped to ask Nanaki if he wanted anything more.

"No, thank you, Tifa." A pause in that low rumble of a voice, then gently, "You realize, this is your life now."

She'd nodded in response, straightening again to find her chestnut eyes drifting over to Cloud. Was he ready to be back now, unlike Vincent? Was he ready to live life now?

As if he felt her eyes on him, he met her gaze, and offered a small upward tilt of one corner of his mouth in a smile. When he looked like that, she could believe he was.

This was her life now. She could live like this. She could be happy.


	2. Some Things

All Things New

Chapter Two: Some Things...

* * *

Tifa cringed each time she had to peel her bare feet from the sticky floor. 

No one had paid much attention when Marlene opened the fridge to fetch the milk. No one had paid much attention to that small puddle on the floor that was all that was left of the washing machine incident earlier. But when the two met as the girl scrambled back to her seat, everyone couldn't _not_ notice the fountain of milk that erupted as the jug shattered against the floor, turning the kitchen into a dairy river and covering their hostess head to toe in the white liquid.

All the activity and chatter in the room had instantly ceased, lending to a silence that was so pristine even crickets wouldn't have chirped. It seemed like hours, that silence, when in fact it was nothing more than a handful of seconds and sound came crashing back in the form of roaring laughter. Every one of them was having a good laugh at seeing her there, milk lapping at her ankles and dripping from her slender figure, even Nanaki with his low chuckles and Cloud unable to fight the amusement attempting to capture one corner of his mouth.

She'd immediately clutched the front of her soaked shirt and held it away from her to remain halfway decent, searching for Marlene amidst the crowd of laughing but friendly faces and finding the girl giggling insanely. Chances are she'd been devious enough to let go of the milk and run for it since she appeared unscathed.

Breakfast had long since finished with everyone lingering in their conversation and company more than anything, so blustering for a way to save herself further embarrassment, she sputtered, "J-just all of you, out. Go get some air. Something. I can't clean with you underfoot." And even though it was meant to sound indignant, she was fighting a smile of her own when she retrieved a large tub for them to deposit their dirty dishes in.

Cid didn't need any more encouragement, one hand already fumbling in his pocket for a smoke as he announced, "I'm gonna go look for some parts." Yuffie had snorted and produced his cigarettes; apparently Tifa hadn't caught those wandering fingers every time they'd stopped by Cid's pocket. "Damn bi—" the pilot started as he grabbed the box, but was silenced by another rough clap on the back.

"Figure I'll see what those WRO trucks are up to in Midgar," Barret stated.

Almost immediately, everyone besides the sullen pilot decided that was the most intriguing option. After brushing off any last protests about her cleaning up by herself, Tifa washed her hands and turned the faucet of the sink for hot, soapy water to fill one side over the clatter of everyone's dishes making it into that tub and the door banging shut. Trudging to the back room, her laundry was safely transferred into the dryer, and a glance down at her still drenched clothes reminded her that she needed to buy more detergent. She hated the sticky feeling between the soles of her feet and the floor when she headed toward the supply closet for the mop.

It was ironic to switch from saving the world to saving her kitchen floor or thinking of what she needed to put on the grocery list, or wondering why she's had to use a mop she could hardly even find two times in one day.

"Tifa."

With a soft "ouch" she exited the supply closet again, rubbing her head and sending Cloud a look that told him he should have known not to sneak up on her while she's in there. Just another weird thing that had happened twice today.

"Sorry," he immediately added, despite that same want to smile barely softening the line of his mouth. "Let me help." As he reached for the mop, his vibrant glance swept over the still amusing picture of her literally milky appearance, though it quickly dropped again.

Shifting her sticky feet, she let him take the mop, suddenly remembering her modesty again and clutching at the front of her shirt. "I thought you'd have gone with the others," she tried to remark casually, sidestepping him to return to the sink and busying herself with emptying the tub of dishes into the steamy water awaiting them.

"The trucks will still be there later. It's not right for you to have to take care of everything here yourself."

How truly ironic that _he_ should be the one saying that when he's the one who left her alone with the children for months with barely a word. She chose not to point that out.

"You don't need to help me, Cloud." He was sent an overly cheery smile that was meant to last no more than a second, but she couldn't turn away when she noticed the look in his eyes.

"What do I _need_ to do now?"

For a moment, he looked lost. Like that young boy who couldn't save her on the bridge, all those years ago when they were children and the world hadn't seemed so large and empty. What did life hold for him now that it didn't need saving, now that Sephiroth and Kadaj's gang had seemingly been defeated?

Somehow restarting a delivery service seemed a trifle bland.

She hadn't noticed she was actually staring at him until Cloud mustered an unconvincing smile that was his way of trying to say there was no need for concern. But she was always concerned when it came to him, and probably always would be. Maybe he knew that because the attempt lasted only a moment and then he gave up by reaching for the mop again. This time she let him take it. The last thing she wanted was to dredge up anything unpleasant on the first day they could all breathe freely.

"I know what _I_ need to do and that's shower," she managed with a hint of amusement. "If you can clean up down here, I'll go do that."

He nodded with relief and spared himself saying anything more by hurrying to start mopping up.

As she crossed to the stair, she couldn't resist the urge to look back at him. After all, it wasn't every day that the famous Cloud Strife was mopping your kitchen floor, and he'd done it twice already. Maybe she would put him to work as a janitor.

On that note, and with a laugh at the thought, she headed upstairs for that much-needed shower.

* * *

An hour later, they were on their way to find the others on a casual stroll to Midgar. 

Cloud turned out to be a wonderful dishwasher but terrible at putting them away. Terrible at putting anything away, when it came down to it. He had to be reminded which vegetables went in the fridge, what things stayed on the shelves, and even needed to be told the names of things again.

She'd laughed more times during the entire venture than she could remember in the past month, and though he hadn't shared in the audible mirth, he'd smiled. Really smiled. The kind of smile that she'd long ago thought she'd only imagined ever seeing. It softened his eyes a little, and made it seem like maybe they hadn't lost all of their innocence despite the tragic events of their past.

It was the future she was thinking about now, with the clear sky overhead allowing the sunlight to tickle her cheekbones, and the city rush steadily growing louder as they walked that reminded her about the metropolis finally getting rebuilt.

They'd been sharing a companionable silence throughout the casual journey, so different from their silences before. She was hesitant to break it, especially when a sidelong glance confirmed that he seemed relaxed for once.

"So what are you going to do now?"

That silence fell deeper as he lowered his gaze, a frown flickering across his face before he offered a simple, "I…don't know." She thought she might have ruined his mood, but he mustered another small half-smile. "Just be content, I guess."

But his eyes told her how hard that would be.

"Don't settle for just being content, Cloud. Try and be happy."

His expression betrayed his mild confusion at her words, managing to keep a faint curve to his mouth. She realized that the lost look in his eyes wasn't because he didn't _want_ to be happy, but because he didn't think he knew how.

By now, they could spot their friends in the distance, standing in a scattered cluster near an WRO truck that was quickly filling with debris to dispose of elsewhere. Tifa wondered how many of them felt the same way as Cloud did now, and as she had in the past. What was it really like to be happy?

Before they joined the others, she returned Cloud's smile with a reassuring one of her own. She had the fleeting thought that he needed a hug, but shoved it aside and settled for a gentle, "I'll help you try. We all will."

And when Denzel ran up to tug at both of their hands to show them what he'd found on his "treasure hunt" with Marlene, she knew they already had begun.

* * *

The next few days passed in a pleasantly busy hustle and bustle that included everything from a trip to the store for that detergent to a stuffy meeting with Rufus Shinra thanking all of them for their service. 

That meeting was actually what had prompted Tifa on a whim to suggest they all head to the store. The tension in the room as Rufus spoke was thick enough to cut with a knife. Cloud looked the most uncomfortable considering he was the center of attention, though she wasn't too keen on the way Rude was staring at her the entire time. She found herself idly wondering if there was something on her face. Cloud must have noticed too, because he kept giving the Turk a funny look, and even managed to send a questioning glance to her before the nonverbal query was interrupted when his attention was drawn back to Rufus.

Even Denzel noticed, because the moment the Shin-Ra group was gone, he'd tugged on her hand and asked if she'd done something to make the bald man mad. Before she could answer, Yuffie had burst into giggles and teased Denzel about boys looking at girls for _other_ reasons, at which point most everyone was laughing save Tifa, who turned scarlet, and Denzel, who made a face, and Cloud, who gave her that same puzzled look he'd managed before.

When the boy opened his mouth to probably ask more, she quickly interjected with a forcibly cheery, "I'm going to the store! Who wants to come?"

In the end, only Barret, Cid, and Nanaki were absent. They went to have another talk with Reeve, who was apparently interested in concentrating some more WRO efforts near Corel, leaving the rest to barrel into the large grocery store down the street from 7th Heaven.

It was a disaster waiting to happen with two children full of energy, an equally boisterous ninja with loose fingers, an absent, distracted celebrity, and Tifa with the list of things she actually needed to concentrate on buying. Within a few minutes of entering the shop Cloud had been swarmed by people wanting his autograph, wanting to touch him, and one very bold young woman who wanted a kiss. Rather cruelly, the rest of the group had voted to let him fend for himself.

Marlene decided her stumble the other day warranted a repeat performance, and ended up crashing into a display of bread loaves that left most of them crushed and unmarketable. The shop owner was furious, scolding Tifa right then and there until he was red in the face and Marlene and Denzel looked like they were either going to cry or kill him. Yuffie finally stepped in and offered to pay for all the damaged goods to everyone's shock and surprise, until Cloud was finally free of his fans to come over and find out what happened. Of course, the minute the owner was informed these were Cloud Strife's friends, he apologized and scurried away.

But the ordeal had taken its toll and the rest of the trip was curtailed with Tifa picking and choosing only the most necessary items with Yuffie's "help," while Marlene and Denzel waited outside with Cloud. Tifa couldn't blame him for volunteering to take them across the street; already more people were lining up to try and get a word in with him.

"I think I should head home."

Tifa glanced up from the list with a frown that she barely managed to curb into only mild disappointment. "Why? Not because of that bread thing."

"No, but when I offer to pay for _anything_ that probably means I need to go back. Rediscover my roots." Yuffie had said it with a cheeky grin that made Tifa wonder if the ninja would ever come to think of stealing as wrong.

And so when they finally headed back, Yuffie packed her things – and probably some "mementos" from the adventure – and bounced out the door back to Wutai. Nanaki wasn't long in following suit, taking his leave but not before giving everyone his respects and receiving several warm scratches behind the ears in return.

More days passed in a comfortable blur as everyone fell into a routine, albeit a temporary one. Barret kept meeting with Reeve, Cid kept working on his ship, the kids kept getting into trouble. Even Cloud seemed like he was getting better, until one night, as Tifa left the kids' bedroom after tucking them in, she almost bumped into him in the hall.

He was massaging his left bicep, flexing it as if testing it. She'd dropped a glance to it, then arched a brow to him in unspoken question. The Geostigma should have been completely gone.

"I'm fine," were his first words, serving to reassure her slightly. It was his next that sent her heart into a slump that landed it on the floor. "I'm not used to living without pain."

She'd smiled, told him he would be fine, had tried to believe it. But in his eyes she saw the truth.

He was going to leave again.

It was only a matter of two days before she saw him there, standing just inside of the back door when she took the laundry down early that morning. He'd known she'd be coming down to do it, had known she'd be alone. He'd waited to say goodbye until no one could stop him from going, because he knew she wouldn't.

"Cloud..." It was the only protest she could make, and even then it was halfhearted. Too much and she thought she might cry. Crying was the last thing she wanted to do.

"I just need to figure out some things, Tifa. I'll be back. I promise." The duffel bag sitting at his feet almost screamed otherwise at her, but she averted her gaze to the floor.

That's what prompted those steps forward of his, one gloved hand rising to cup her chin in friendly gentleness when he raised her eyes to his own. "When I come back, we can be a family. I promise."

More promises. More waiting. More of him being gone. She didn't want any of it, but it was what she was given.

She took it with a faint smile.

Releasing his hold on her jaw, he had let his hand fall to her shoulder instead, cradling the curve there until after another moment of seeing her on the verge of distraught, his fingers trailed around her back to circle her shoulders in a one-armed hug. It was all he could offer besides words.

When everyone else came down for breakfast, there was barely a trace that Cloud had ever been there. The only remnant that remained was her false smile.

* * *

Fin. 

A/N: The title of this chapter came from the little saying "some things never change" just as a side note that I thought some people might find interesting, especially in light of chapter one's hopefulness that everything had, in fact, changed.

Thank you, _everyone_, for your wonderful encouragement! I had no idea this fic would be received so well right off the bat, but it definitely inspires me to write more. It's a bit slow-going right now, but hopefully not too slow and even perhaps worth the wait? Thank you again. I love comments and critique. :)


	3. One Step Forward

All Things New

Chapter Three: One Step Forward

* * *

No one mentioned Cloud's absence during breakfast, but they didn't have to. She could tell by the look on the children's faces that they were disappointed, and Cid and Barret kept glancing at her with their clear disapproval of the mako-eyed hero's abrupt departure. All she could do was scoot the bits of egg and toast around on her plate listlessly in an attempt to pretend like she was eating, or even hungry. Her appetite had left with the last sound of Fenrir's engine as it faded into the distance.

Thankfully, Reeve decided to make a surprise appearance before they'd even finished clearing away the dishes. Polite, as usual, he immediately offered to return later when they'd had a chance to finish, which met three resounding 'no's from the adults and a perplexed look shared by the two kids.

"Mr. Reeve, where's Cait?" Denzel had developed something of a fascination for the automaton when Marlene tried to explain to him what exactly it was.

"I'm sure he's safe, Denzel," Tifa interjected, sparing their guest an apologetic smile before her attention returned to the boy. "Why don't you and Marlene play upstairs, okay? I'll take you to the park later."

They didn't hesitate to scamper off with a clatter of their dishes in the sink, the sound of fighting over which puzzle they'd put together echoing down the hall after them, leaving her free to offer another apology and collect the rest from the table.

The men had made themselves comfortable by the time she was through. Barret took up the entire couch and half the living room with his legs crossed in front of him, Cid had his arms folded over the back of the chair he was sitting in backward, and Reeve had one hand on the mantle of the fireplace. It left little but a shabby-looking armchair for her to perch on, which she reluctantly did, leaning to avoid the bigger lumps in the cushion.

"I'd hoped Cloud would be here also, but I suppose there's no helping that fact now," Reeve began, reading from all of their faces that much discussion on that farewell wasn't quite welcome. "You see, I'm beginning to suspect the Shin-Ra Corporation is up to something again."

"_What_?"

The clunk of Barret's barrel arm hitting the arm of the sofa jarred Tifa into action again with a quick, "You'd better explain what you mean by up to something, Reeve…"

Reeve laughed nervously, a polite chuckle more than anything, and smoothed his slacks over his knees. "Well, I'm not exactly sure what to make of it. Word is, Shin-Ra is planning to rebuild. That's no surprise. With the Geostigma gone, everyone is planning to rebuild. What troubles me is _what_ they plan on rebuilding."

Everyone instantly thought of the worst. More mako reactors. More devastation. More… When Barret's arm clicked, Cid saw fit to step in. "Goddamnit, stop keeping us in suspense and have out with it."

"I saw blueprints for another laboratory, in Midgar this time."

"What kind of laboratory?" Surprisingly enough, Barret seemed rather calm in asking the question. It would be the answer he received that would determine his reaction, and Tifa could only hope her living room would be spared.

Reeve shook his head, gaze wandering anywhere but meeting those of his friends. "I'm not entirely sure. I do know there's apparently a scientist already waiting to begin his research once it's complete. A Dr. Stevens, who received a lot of acclaim with his research on Geostigma. Since the epidemic's been resolved, I can only imagine he intends to continue his work in the field of genetics."

Genetics. It was like a stone fell and dragged all their hopes for peace down with it.

"We're gonna have another apocalypse on our hands!" came Barret's angry protest, and Tifa had to place a hand on his arm to calm him, quite a feat from her precarious seat in the armchair beside him.

"Now, let's not jump to any conclusions. I need more information before we start assuming that anything even remotely dangerous is going on. The president seems to have turned a new leaf, after all," was Reeve's attempt at keeping the peace, obviously falling on deaf ears.

"When will you know for sure what Shin-Ra is up to, Reeve?" Tifa was intent on keeping the peace as well.

"Well…since I'm no longer with the company, I'm not privy to all the information, but I have sources. At the very least, I'll be able to discover more once the laboratory is complete and work resumes there. I know that's not much, but there's plenty to do in the meantime that should keep all of us busy."

"Not me," Cid chimed in, unfolding his arms to push himself into a stand, dusting off his palms. "Figure I've already stayed long enough. Someone's gonna have my ass if I get into any more trouble."

"She already has your ass," Barret retorted, getting to his own feet to tower over the rest. Everyone knew Shera was probably the only reason Cid was still alive at this point, and sane—if he could be considered that. "You can't just turn a blind eye if something's goin' down."

"Watch me."

Tifa joined all the rest when she stood, a fist clenching at her side as she offered a terse, "Arguing won't get us anywhere, and it won't stop whatever's happening either. Calm down. Reeve, what else needs to be done?"

"Corel, first and foremost. I've been talking to you about that, Barret. Maybe you want to head back there…?" Gaia, but she was thankful at least someone else in the room had a level head on their shoulders.

At mention of his hometown, Barret quieted enough to shrug and fold his arms, sparing Cid another glare. He had a soft spot in his heart for the town and its people, no one could dispute that.

"Maybe Denzel and Marlene and I could go along with you, Barret. It'd be good for Marlene to see your home, and there's nothing keeping us here." Not since Cloud left.

Cid had a change of heart – or he decided he didn't want to be staring down the barrel of a gun for long – and piped up with a nonchalant, "And I suppose I could drop y'all off on my way back to Rocket Town. It's on the way and all. Just don't expect me to stick around. I've got things to do."

"Then it's settled," Tifa replied with a nod. "We'll head there by the end of the week. Tomorrow, even, if you have a schedule to keep, Cid."

But Barret still looked unsure. Reeve noticed, as did Tifa, though Cid was already on his way out the back door with a hollered, "I'll be fixing things up to leave," over his shoulder.

"Barret, I assure you, I'll keep an eye on things and let you and Tifa know the moment anything starts looking truly suspicious. Right now it's just speculation, and after the last few days' events, we all deserve a break from unfounded fears, don't you think?"

That cued Reeve to take his leave, promising again to contact them at the very first hint of anything problematic, placing the burden of convincing the environmentalist on her shoulders.

"I just don't like the idea of running off when something might be up," he admitted as he fell back to a seat, fisting his metal hand into the sofa's cushions. Her furniture needed a vacation, if nothing else.

There was nothing she could really offer as further reassurance. She knew when he thought of Shin-Ra's dealings he thought of Corel, just like she thought of Nibelheim. Where they came from doesn't exist anymore. That's something that will never change, and the worst that could happen would be for it to be done to others.

"Reeve will keep an eye on it. He's good at that sort of thing. He kept an eye on all of us, remember?" Maybe that lame attempt at lightening things might help.

"I wanna go back to Corel!"

Marlene and Denzel peeked their heads into the room first after the girl's exclamation, before both appeared in full while Marlene ran and pounced her adoptive father where he still sat. "I wanna go back home."

Denzel, on the other hand, took his time joining the small group. He was wearing a smile but Tifa knew better than anyone what one looked like when it was half-forced, and as he neared, she placed a hand gently on the boy's shoulder. His home had been destroyed, and all he had left was here with her and Cloud. It must be hard for him watching Barret be Marlene's father when his own father figure saw fit to abandon him again.

There was no way Barret could refuse Marlene, however, and after a moment of overly dramatic – feigned – thought on the matter, he parted with a reluctant, "I _s'pose_ we can head back. I've got some work to do anyway. Gotta make sure the others have been gettin' everything done while I've been saving all of you."

Marlene had giggled and ran upstairs already "to pack," she'd said, while Tifa managed a smile despite the sudden tension she could feel in Denzel's form beneath her palm. Barret hadn't spent enough time with the boy to know anything was amiss, but she was spared informing him when he rose to his feet, stretched, and casually mentioned he'd go tell their pilot they'd be ready to head out the next morning.

It left Tifa and Denzel alone in the living room, and the boy finally felt free to voice what he was thinking. "Cloud saved us. All of us."

So that's what this was about. He still adored him, no matter how many times he left and possibly never came back.

"That's right, he did. But we helped him, Denzel. Even Cloud needs help sometimes, but he usually doesn't like to admit it or ask for it, so we give it to him without that because we care about him." If there was anything he needed to learn about Cloud, that was it.

"You mean, like still being here even though he leaves all the time?"

She smiled faintly. How many times _had_ she been there through the years? "Yeah, just like that."

He'd nodded, some of his good spirits restored. After all, he was taking a trip to a place he'd never been before. Tifa wasn't sure he'd ever even left the outskirts of Midgar.

But just as quickly his face fell again, and he said, "But we won't be here, we'll be in Corel! What if he thinks we left?"

"I'll call him, don't worry. That's what he has his cell phone for." Or it was supposed to be the reason for the mobile.

"Okay!" His smile was once again in place, one she realized now she loved seeing, especially now that the Geostigma was gone and he could enjoy life like the kid he still was. "I'll go help Marlene pack her things," he added before running to the doorway.

"Hey, wait, what about packing your own things?"

"Marlene will want to take so much stuff she'll need my help putting it into bags!" was all she received, shouted in response down the hall before she heard his steps creaking up the stairs.

With a soft chuckle she shook her head, agreeing with Denzel's logic despite the load it would mean they'd have to all haul onto the ship when the time came. Speaking of, a peek out the window revealed Barret and Cid in the backyard arguing about something, which probably meant everything was perfectly fine.

Now she just had a phone call to make_  
_

* * *

_Leave your message after the tone._

The automated voice was one she'd heard too many times before to count, and it grated on her nerves. If he was never going to answer the phone, the least he could do is record some kind of personal message for the voicemail.

_Beep!_

"Hey, it's me. Just wanted to give you a heads-up that the kids and I are heading to Corel with Barret for a little while." She didn't really think he'd be back by the time they would, but stranger things had happened. "We should be back pretty soon. If plans change, I'll let you know."

Should she tell him about what Reeve said? Somehow that didn't seem like a conversation to be having with a message machine. "Reeve's keeping an eye on Shin-Ra. Apparently some things have been suspicious lately…" There, at least she'd warned him, in part. "I'll keep you posted about that, too."

A momentary pause as she debated saying anything else, finally opting for a simple, "Be careful, Cloud." It was code for telling him he better come back in one piece, and that he better come back like he promised sooner rather than later, if possible.

She hung up the phone and replaced it in its cradle, her fingers idly falling to drum a rhythm across the top of the desk, landing before the picture of the group. They looked so happy, right after the trio had been vanquished and Sephiroth was sent back into nothing but memory. If she had anything to say about it, they would be happy again.

In the meantime, the clatter coming from Marlene's room reminded her that she needed to pack, and probably avert disaster by helping them pack, too. It would be a good distraction for all of them.

Maybe, it could be the stepping-stone toward happiness for the children, at least.

* * *

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update. Also, over the next few chapters you'll see a lot more development of the actual plotline of the story, with Shin-Ra plotting something new, and the WRO's efforts, and all of it. Hopefully I'll be able to do the story in my head justice when it's translated onto the page. Or screen. Thank you for reading! All reviews are highly welcome and encouraged. :) 


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